How well do you know the contents of your home?Could you rattle off the make, model and amount you paid for your television? Do you have images of your grandmother’s heirloom jewelry or the serial number from the back of your computer monitor?If fire or burglars tear through your home, having detailed information about your […]

If the contents of your spice cabinet have have been around for a year or more, it’s time to spring clean your seasonings.Herbs and spices are the miracle workers of delicious cuisine. But over time they lose their intensity, meaning that 2-year-old bottle of dried oregano hiding in the back of the cabinet won’t add […]

You’ve stocked up on the basics, so now it’s time to splurge. Here are some herbs and spices for adding an eclectic – or just more worldly – touch to your spice cabinet.CARDAMOM: Sometimes call the “Queen of Spices” in India, cardamom is used in sweet and savory blends for Danish pastries, desserts and sweet […]

DEAR ABBY: “Brett” and I have been married for six years. We have no children, although I would dearly love to have one. Brett has a child from a previous relationship.When I bring up the subject of having a child, he agrees, but when I tell him I am ovulating, he says he’s too tired […]

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Keri Russell, 32; Richard Grieco, 43; Teresa Ganzel, 51; Chaka Khan, 55Happy Birthday: Don’t let impatience get the better of you this year. You need to know your limits as well as your goals. Secrets will be divulged and trouble will brew if you are not straightforward in your thinking […]

Do-it-yourself books are like tools: Buy one when you need help with a specific chore and, if you choose properly, you’ll use it for years to come.The most helpful books explain things with clear, complete pictures and illustrations. If you’re considering a book, pick it up and flip through it to a chore you’re familiar […]

Here are 10 skills every homeowner should master.You don’t need to run out and learn them all immediately, of course. But you’ll appreciate them – and save yourself lots of money.You can tackle most with simple hand tools, either items you own or those you can buy for $10 or less. The only power tool […]

In its most detested form, oatmeal is gray, bland and pasty, the stuff of Dickensian orphanages and miserly boarding schools. But devotees of real oatmeal – oatmeal with integrity – know better.But oatmeal isn’t monolithic; it takes many forms. Instant oats can be one-dimensional and cardboardy, and rolled oats too assertively broad and flat. It’s […]

Nearly every adult in America suffers from lower back pain at some point in life, whether it’s from shoveling snow or doing something else.That doesn’t mean we have to live with it.“We shouldn’t be thinking that “Oh, I have to put up with back pain,’ ” says Jan Hornack. “Having back pain is not normal.“There’s […]

DEAR MR. DAD: My husband had a hard time coping with the birth of our first child. He left home for long stretches of time, became very depressed and even turned to drugs and alcohol. He was in jail this past year and I was at a loss at how to explain to our 2-year-old […]